10. San Jose Earthquakes – Would Steven Lenhart’s presence have been enough Saturday to get the Earthquakes over the hump against Montreal? Frank Yallop’s men rallied from two goals behind to get the draw, but might they have found the game-winner, too? Or what if Alan Gordon was not similarly suspended? We’ll never know. Behave, guys!

9. Colorado Rapids – The men from DSG Park have learned how to win the close ones, with three 1-0 victories in their last five contests. They have quietly climbed into fifth place, but the next pair will be real bruisers, at Columbus and at San Jose.

8. Real Salt Lake – Young forward Joao Plata needs to be better near goal, but his overall body of work was solid in replacing injured DP Alvaro Saborio last Saturday. Javier Morales was lively, too, in a 2-0 win over Vancouver. Reports of his demise, as they say, may have been exaggerated.

7. LA Galaxy – Some of those young guys who did so well in last week’s win at Real Salt Lake couldn’t quite repeat the feat at home against motivated Houston. One of the young men who does seem to get it done game after game is rookie left back Greg Cochrane, who continues to look impressing in fill-in duty for injured vet Todd Dunivant.

6. Montreal Impact – A 2-2 draw at San Jose doesn’t look too bad, but what team ever feels good about losing a 2-0 lead? The team really misses Davy Arnaud and Patrice Bernier in central midfield, which, by the way, is exactly where much of the trouble started on San Jose’s goals in the big rally at Buck Shaw.

5. Portland Timbers – Last Thursday’s match in Oregon to open Round 10 around the league was sure proof that a scoreless draw can be exciting. Quality was high, and the goalkeeping was exceptional on both sides. The season-ending injury to Mikael Silvestre must be dealt with, but the Timbers seem to be in good shape otherwise, unbeaten in seven straight.

4. Houston Dynamo – Andrew Driver got the big goal, but withdrawn forward Giles Barnes was The Man in a 1-0 win over the LA Galaxy. Make that, a “huge” win over the LA Galaxy in a rematch of the last two MLS Cups. Bobby Boswell was a beast in the back for Houston. A trip into United on Wednesday, so quickly after Sunday’s late contest, will test the depth and fitness.

3. New York Red Bulls – Just when Roy Miller was getting his groove back, a kitchen accident puts the Red Bulls’ left back in a cast. If it wasn’t for bad luck, this guy would have no luck at all! By the way, with all the star power around Red Bull Arena, it’s easy to overlook guys like Jonny Steele (pictured), who had another nice afternoon in Saturday’s win over Columbus. Mike Petke’s team has won three in a row and four of its last five.

2. Sporting Kansas City – Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes rolled the dice, confidently assessing that his team could snap a two-game losing streak without one of its top men, center back Matt Besler. (Or without right back Chance Myers, for that matter.) While one of the league’s top defenders rested, the team romped, 4-0 over Chivas USA. Graham Zusi rocked in this one.

1. FC Dallas – This is a big week for Schellas Hyndman’s club, with a chance to stretch that lead in the West as Portland and D.C. United visit Texas over the next four days. The week off in Round 10 helped a bunch as center back George John and midfielder Andrew Jacobson – both so important to the Red Stripes – appear fit and ready for the two home matches.